The present apparatus relates generally to a safety belt configuration for use in vehicles by passengers who are lying down.
Many vehicles are equipped with safety belts for restraining passengers within the vehicle during abrupt changes in velocity, such as collisions. Most vehicles are designed to carry passengers in a seated position with safety belts designed to restrain passengers in the seated position. Passengers that wish to lie on such seats must forego the safety of a safety belt. Several prior art attempts have been made to overcome this shortcoming in design. Several products are currently on the market which allow infants to sleep in a substantially semi-reclined fashion, but are not designed to allow the infant to lie flat or to lie on his/her side. These products are not suitable for use by older children or adults because the child is displaced perpendicular to the length of the seat. In order to have room to lie down comfortably, adults and children must lie down along the length of the seat.
One attempt to provide a safety belt for a horizontal passenger in a vehicle is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,131,682 issued to R. Reed on Jul. 21, 1992, for a seat belt apparatus for sleeping passengers. That patent discloses a single belt, similar to a lap belt, which is positioned transverse to the length of a bench-style seat, with the belt being designed to be worn around the midsection of the user. Also, beds in semitractors have been equipped with two safety belts arranged transverse to the sleeping surface which extend over the entire sleeping surface.
These arrangements have several shortcomings. First, the prior art restraints offer little or no protection against forces applied in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of the sleeping individual. Secondly, the prior art restraints have no mechanism which retains the belt or belts in a stationary position relative to the body of a sleeping passenger, allowing the restraints to migrate to vulnerable areas of the passenger""s body, such as the neck, or to slip off the passenger entirely.
In the co-pending application, a safety restraint is disclosed which solves the above-enumerated problems. The invention disclosed herein represents an improvement over the invention of the co-pending application.
The present device provides at least one belt for restraining a horizontal passenger within a vehicle. In one embodiment, a diagonal belt is secured to the vehicle adjacent the side of the sleeping surface near the hips of the passenger. When the passenger is lying on his/her back, the diagonal belt extends toward the shoulder of the passenger while in contact with the back of the passenger, is looped over the shoulder, passes over the passenger""s chest, and is then secured to the vehicle adjacent the hips of the passenger. The diagonal belt is secured to the same side of its origin in a xe2x80x9cKutaxe2x80x9d style belt or to the opposite side of its origin in a xe2x80x9cChenaxe2x80x9d style belt. The restraint of this embodiment may also include additional belts positioned transverse to the sleeping surface. For example, a first transverse belt could extend over the chest and under the arms of the passenger and a second transverse belt could extend over the thighs of the passenger.
In another embodiment, a single belt is used to perform the function of both a diagonal shoulder belt and a transverse thigh belt. The single belt is provided with first and second ends that are each secured to the vehicle on opposite sides of the sleeping surface near the hips of the passenger. A buckle is attached to the belt, adjacent the first end of the belt. A tab is adjustably secured to the belt, adjacent the second end thereof. An adjustable length of the belt extends between the buckle and the tab. When the passenger is lying on his/her back, this length of belt is extended along the passenger""s back from a point near the passenger""s hip toward his/her shoulder. The belt is looped over the passenger""s shoulder so that it extends from his/her shoulder to the tab, adjacent the passenger""s hip and the second end of the belt. The passenger then pulls the tab across his/her body and secures it into the buckle, adjacent the passenger""s other hip and the first end of the belt. This moves the shoulder portion of the belt so that it extends diagonally from the passenger""s shoulder, across his/her chest to the tab and buckle connection. The restraint of this embodiment may also include a second transverse belt, which would extend over the chest and under the arms of the passenger.
When used with a sleeping surface having an accessible underside, as are found in many passenger vans, the transverse belts wrap around the sleeping surface. When used with a sleeping surface having an inaccessible underside, as are found in automobile back seats and semi-tractor beds, the transverse belts are secured adjacent one side of the sleeping surface and secured adjacent the opposite side of the sleeping surface. When used with a sleeping surface having an adjacent padded wall, such as the back rest of a seat of a car, the diagonal belt and the transverse belts may be mounted on one side of the sleeping surface and positioned entirely above the sleeping surface. As shown hereinafter, the safety restraint comfortably protects a horizontal passenger from forces that may be applied from any direction.
Accordingly, one object of the invention is to provide a device which can be used by a horizontal passenger as a safety restraint.
Another object of the invention is to maintain the relationship of the belts to the body of the passenger while the passenger is sleeping.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a safety restraint which offers protection from impact from any direction.
Another object of the invention is to provide a safety restraint which is comfortable and operational for a passenger lying on his back, side, or chest.
Another object of the invention is to provide a device which serves as a safety restraint for a horizontal passenger, but does not expose the passenger to extensive soft tissue damage.
Another object of the invention is to provide a safety restraint which is operational in a number of different settings.
Another object of the invention is to provide a safety restraint for securing the shoulder and thigh areas of a horizontal passenger with a single belt.
These and other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art.